Tapastic Update: Coming Soon Filter, Creator Page, Homepage Update and More

ck_tapastic 2014-06-06 06:59:35 UTC #1

Hello Tapastic!

We’ve got some exciting updates to announce this week!

Coming Soon Filter

First and foremost, we’ve added a Coming Soon Filter to scheduled comic episodes. If a reader comes to the end of a comic series and there are scheduled episodes posted by a creator, then the reader will see this filter applied to the next scheduled episode:

The idea behind this new feature is to provide readers with additional motivation to subscribe to a series. If you are a creator and like to schedule your comic episodes in advance, you will be seeing this filter applied to your next scheduled episode as an additional incentive for your readers to subscribe.

Creator Page

We’ve made a snazzy new page to explain the benefits of Tapastic to new creators. Help us spread the word by sharing this page with other creators! Also, don’t forget to check out some of our creator monetization benefits on this page, if you haven’t already.

Homepage Update

We’ve added a new section to the homepage called “What’s Hot” to better showcase some of the top trending series on Tapastic. We’ve also decided to get rid of the Community and Creator Spotlight sections in an effort to put more emphasis on series discovery.

Minor Updates

Changed Sign in and Signup prompt designs
Added permanent upload button to the navigation bar to direct to the new creator page

Thank you all so much for your feedback and support. We’ve got lots more exciting updates on the way, so stayed tuned!

We’d love to hear your feedback! Post it below!

brianorlando 2014-06-06 07:20:43 UTC #2

Please feel free to provide us with any feedback! Thanks.

DirkPower 2014-06-06 11:30:53 UTC #3

The coming soon filter is a great idea, it absolutely keeps me more interested in continuing/ subscribing rather than the comic just ending. Works well. Aside from that, thank you Tapastic website guys for putting The Ravens and The Wolves on the New and Noteworthy section! Never imagined I'd get anymore than ten subs, honestly, you guys putting it there gave me a bunch of exposure I didnt think I'd get so I have to say, I love the site layout
Ian

thematthewvince 2014-06-06 13:36:39 UTC #4

Excited about the coming soon feature!

UzukiCheverie 2014-06-06 14:31:11 UTC #5

Wow, loving all the new updates ^__^

VelinquenT 2014-06-06 14:35:55 UTC #6

Earlier, on the homepage, you can go directly to the best comic by clicking on "Drop dead gorgeous". Now, there is only the retarded series.

I could never understand why is there about a dozen of banal series about cats and idiocy. And now I don't understand even more.
Under current conditions, it would be logical to leave at least the buttons "Drop dead gorgeous" and a list of adaptations from Daum series.

hades 2014-06-06 15:30:57 UTC #7

The layout looks really nice but the comics chosen up till the bottom half feel a little too similar to each other. But I'm just not that interested in constant joke comics. ^^; So take my opinion with a grain of salt.
Everything else truly looks nice!

ck_tapastic 2014-06-06 17:12:03 UTC #8

Thanks for updating the post!

UzukiCheverie 2014-06-06 17:29:27 UTC #9

You know it's perfectly possible to make your point and be respectful about it as well, right? Plus you've only managed to make your point subjectively rather than objectively; what you think is "retarded" is considered a good read to others. Pick your words a little better next time.

That aside, those kinds of strips are still going to be highlighted weekly on the top banners as they've always been according to the staff's schedule with it. You can't help what's popular and what people like to read, and if you'd rather read story-type comics that aren't being highlighted on the front page, you're perfectly capable of searching for them yourself. Something tells me this is more a gripe about your own series rather than what you want to read on the front page.

Then again, that's my subjective opinion. Nothing's "retarded" here, we all just have different tastes. Let's all be respectful about it and move on - Tapastic is still working hard on its updates and we can play our part by giving each update a chance and giving our honest opinion, respectfully and decently. Thank-a-you.

I felt that a little as well :x Mostly with the comics in New & Noteworthy all being the same a some of the comics in "Wht's Hot." Most of the popular series are gag series though and that's just something that can't be helped lol (that's just what's popular these days!)

brianorlando 2014-06-06 17:44:29 UTC #10

We are currently experimenting with the top section of the homepage and will be changing out the banners more frequently using art from various creators on the site. This week happened to be Gamercat, which is a pretty awesome series if you read through it.

Everyone has their own taste. I can understand that. Sounds like you prefer the more longform comics.

You can still access the Drop Dead Gorgeous section by clicking the collections tab in the navbar. It's a few extra clicks but it's still there.

I do warn you though, if you don't like cats and idiocy, then the internet is a horrible place to be. Haha. Jk.

Anyways, thanks for the feedback.

brianorlando 2014-06-06 18:19:05 UTC #11

Well, put. Thanks Uzuki.

fatfreesugar 2014-06-06 18:22:07 UTC #12

Just to be a bit more clear on the What's Hot section. It won't be another "Most Popular" section. It is there to highlight newer series that have been trending. The "Most Popular" section on the other hand is for all comics, new and old.

VelinquenT 2014-06-06 18:40:32 UTC #14

The point is that story-based comics and strip - it's too much different types of the same genre.

Objectivity of my point of view lies in the fact that no one, in an attempt to increase the number of audience will not put full comics in one place with the gags. This is incompatible, as novels are incompatible with joke books.

Oh, and I'm not an author, so I don't have a series, which I'd like to see on the homepage.

VelinquenT 2014-06-06 19:17:59 UTC #15

Well, I'm able to find a series that I need, but only because I already know that it is there.
The bottom line is that when people visit the site for the first time they evaluate content by viewing the main page. The question is not whether there is a collection of DDG, but how the visitor has to guess about it.
These buttons should stay. Yes, they are not that popular as the series about cats, but I don't remember when the quality be determined by the number of views or something like that. Views might determine yield as well quality - further attendance.

For example, I ran across tapastic a dozen times, but I started to use it regularly only when I saw a Yuumei review. And it all just because from side tapastic might look like a poster with gag-strips.

I hope i write is understandable, because I'm not native-speaker

ck_tapastic 2014-06-06 21:03:24 UTC #16

I think I understand what you mean. So the point is, different users are drawn to different genre of comics (in your case I guess drop dead gorgeous and more serial stories-based comics?), and for these people to not think that Tapastic is only about gag comics or cat comics, there should be ways to at least educate users there are other types of content on Tapastic too with labels and menus and such... Did I understand you right?

VelinquenT 2014-06-07 04:26:24 UTC #17

Yeah, more or less.

And the fact is that the concept of "chapters" for these kinds of comics are very different from each other.
For example, John Doe should draw a 15-20 pages per month, but he can't publish them upon completion of each, because it can destroy the story. In this case, the page must be connected to each other in a long strip and posted once a month.

On the other hand we have a Jane Doe, she publishes a "chapters" consisting of a single page, but every other day. This is bad, but just because introduces an imbalance that can nullify only through adjustment frequency of updates, but it's impossible. Each of the "chapters" which published by Jay Dow, can be read, rated or liked independently of the previous ones.

L4213 2014-06-07 13:07:44 UTC #18

haha the coming soon update is really a nice way to entice readers by saying "hey look! there's going to be more of this stuff you like! but you're going to have to wait so why not subscribe!" though that also sounds like a good "support program feature" option. just some cents in my head :3

also im curious, how does the "whats hot" section feature the comics? i only subconsciously noticed that it was changed from the "hot and upcoming" section. but i still feel like it features the new and recently made comics. or maybe thats just me?

kamethehermit 2014-06-07 18:12:54 UTC #19

Awesome idea with the "coming soon" filter can't wait to try it =)

UzukiCheverie 2014-06-07 21:54:00 UTC #20

also im curious, how does the "whats hot" section feature the comics? i only subconsciously noticed that it was changed from the "hot and upcoming" section. but i still feel like it features the new and recently made comics. or maybe thats just me?

From what I've seen, "What's Hot" covers popular series both new and old. It's just the coincidence of views that some of the new comics have been falling into both "New and Noteworthy" and "What's Hot" at the same time :B

ck_tapastic 2014-06-07 22:18:36 UTC #21

Think of "Trending" in other services